A
surveillance technology company
Digital Angel is developed by Applied Digital Solutions. On December 15,
1999, licensed the technology from another company (on May 13, 1997, United
States Patent Number 5,629,678 was granted for a "personal tracking and
recovery system.") ADS is in the process of acquiring Destron Fearing, one
of the main creators of the chips for animals. "We believe the potential
global market for this device -- in all of its applications -- could exceed
$100 billion dollar." Implantable in humans, with applications in e-business
to business security, monitoring the medical condition of at-risk patients,
tracking endangered wildlife or household pets, emergency location and criminal
justice.

Piezoelectric power supply technology
For the first time in the history of location and monitoring technology,
according to ADS, Digital Angel overcomes limitations of unwieldy size,
maintenance requirements, insufficient or inconvenient power-supply and
activation difficulties. "The transceiver's power supply and actuation system
are unlike anything ever created. When implanted within a body, the device
is powered electromechanically through the movement of muscles, and it can
be activated either by the "wearer" or by the monitoring facility. A novel
sensation feedback feature will even allow the wearer to control the device
to some degree."

Potential for abuse
In the article *They
can find you* by Kurt Kleiner from New Scientist, Emily Whitfield, a
spokeswoman for the American Civil Liberties Union said "this kind of stuff
has enormous potential for abuse by the authorities, or by anyone who can
break into the information". She worries that the devices could become widespread,
allowing governments to monitor their citizens. And she speculates that
criminals could crack the codes needed to activate and use the devices,
allowing them to pinpoint, say, potential kidnap victims." Before, in the
brief *"Privacy
in America: Electronic Monitoring"* ACLU denounced the coming of "active
badges," clip-on microcomputers that allow an employer to track a worker's
movements electronically. "Increasingly, members of the American workforce
are being treated like pieces of equipment."
Beyond: brain implants On October 26, 1998, a paralyzed man who received a *brain
implant* - a neurotrophic electrode - become the first human to successfully
control a computer using only his thoughts. This was the result of cognitive
engineering being developed by neurosurgeon Dr. Roy Bakay, and his Emory
University colleague, neurologist Dr. Philip Kennedy. This new technique
has profound implications for paralyzed people everywhere.

"The neurotrophic electrode is implanted into the motor cortex of the brain
using a tiny glass encasing. Neurotrophic growth factors are implanted into
the glass, and the cortical cells grow into the electrode and form neural
contacts. It takes several weeks for the cortical tissue to grow into the
electrode. The neurons in the brain transmit an electronic signal when they
"fire." Recording wires placed inside the glass cone pick up the neural
signals from the ingrown brain tissue and transmit then through the skin
to a receiver and amplifier outside of the scalp. The system is powered
by an induction coil placed over the scalp. There are no wires going through
the skin. The recorded neural signals are connected to the computer and
are used as a substitute for the mouse cursor. The patient is able to hear
noises that indicate when his brain is thinking in a way that will allow
him to focus on the cursor and move it. The trick is teaching the patient
to control the strength and pattern of the electric impulses being produced
in the brain," Dr. Bakay said. After some training, the patient is able
to 'will' a cursor to move and then stop on a specific point on the computer
screen."

The vision of a cyborgIn August 1998, Warwick was the first human to have a silicon chip implanted
in their arm to test human-computer interaction. *Professor
Kevin Warwick* envisions a world in which humans communicate directly
with computers, and network continually with computers. In their article
*Cyborg
1.0* (Wired, February 2000), Kevin Warwick outlines his plan to become
one with his computer. Involves directly linking the human nervous system,
via a radio frequency signal, with the electronic signals in a computer.
What do we become when our movements, emotions and ultimately our thoughts
are directly connected to computer technology? Can we link computer brains
and human brains together to enhance our intelligence? Can we affect the
way human's think and act, by means of electronics not chemicals - cyber
drugs? Will it be possible for humans to communicate with each other by
thought alone?